Comparison of 10 Survey Software Tools in 2024: Which Online Solutions Are Best?

A survey is simply a set of questions designed to capture specific data from a particular group of people. It is basically data collection or research. With the internet, online surveys came about which made data gathering easier and response rates higher while keeping cost affordable.

Of course, you can only gain the aforementioned benefits if you have the right survey software. And you’ll have the best choices with our comparison of survey software below.

These survey tools are SaaS solutions which you can use at budget friendly subscriptions, giving you flexibility and scalability, customization options, powerful process automation, survey distribution and data collection across multiple online channels, extensive integration, and robust data analysis and reporting, among others.

For a better understanding of this solution, you can read our comprehensive guide on survey software that details features, types, pricing and more.

In our comparison of survey software, we’ve gathered 10 of the best online platforms available in the market today. They may have similar core survey tools and research functions but they also offer features unique to their platforms which we’ll explore in this article.

Credits: Lightspeed Research

How significant are online surveys? Very much, as part of your strategic marketing tech stack that includes your CRM or sales software. Internet or online surveys are becoming essential tools for various research fields including business and marketing, education and academic, social and scientific research as well as government and official statistics research. It gives you the means to better understand your customers or audience.

According to the European Society for Opinion and Marketing, which counts over 6,000 individual members and more than 600 corporate members from 130+ countries, online survey research tools accounted for 20% of global data-collection expenditures in 2006, up by 9% the previous year.

An American Express article goes on to say that there are several low-cost online survey applications and many ways for surveys to help your business that there is no excuse for not polling your customers. Indeed, knowing the pulse of your customers on how they perceive and feel about your products and services, at a time when they have so many buying options online, gives you tactical advantage in making improvements as well as strategic edge in making sound business decisions down the line.

Explore some of the leading solutions in this comparison of survey software that can help you unlock and learn the sentiments of your audience when it comes to your business.

1. SoGoSurvey

At the top spot is SoGoSurvey, a very comprehensive platform that is popular for its ease-of-use. It is essentially a single-click survey creation system that allows you to share or download completed surveys, which are also easily understandable. So you’re a newbie in survey creation, no problem there as the product comes with templates that you can simply copy onto your surveys, greatly accelerating the survey creation process.

The vendor offers a comprehensive free trial to get you up to speed with the features. You can sign up for the SoGoSurvey free demo easily.

A feature-rich platform, SoGoSurvey comes with six hundred different functionalities that can help you create your own surveys–easily and accurately. You can come up with a questionnaire based on your needs as it allows you to delete or add questions as needed. Language used in surveys can also be changed, depending on survey respondents. It can also hide specific questions, which can be viewed as the need arises. Once completed, surveys can be previewed from any desktop, tablet computer, or mobile device.

What is unique about SoGoSurvey?

1. Any business can use it. Whatever your business is, SoGoSurvey will provide all your survey creation needs. This is evident from the system’s popularity even among Fortune 500 companies. It does not make any distinction between any company and industry for that matter. It can be used to conduct surveys in any demographic, be it employees, market, customers or patients.
2. It has a smart question creation tool. Using the software, you can create the right questions for the right demographic at the right time. You can pre-populate surveys with queries that will only become visible when needed. It also allows you to come up with matrix grid questions.
3. It supports multiple languages. You can change the language of your survey depending on your target respondents. Doing so would ensure survey accuracy, which gives you the righ results. You only need to enter your questions and the app automatically translates them for you in the language of your choosing. This is made possible by a Microsoft API, which translates text through Bing.
4. It secures your survey data. Being a cloud-based system, it comes as a no surprise that platform is as secure as can be. However, to further ensure data security, the vendor makes use of state-of-the-art security tech, making sure that your survey information are secure.

2. Alchemer

Alchemer gives you bells and whistles when it comes to advanced tools and enterprise capabilities. It has over 300 features and complete customizations, giving you a most robust survey and data insights platform at your fingertips. Among these features are question types, logic and branching, reporting, custom branding, project types, survey scripting, quotas, publishing, email campaigns, integrations, security, support, add-ons, and many more. You get solid design tools to help you create, style, test, distribute and share surveys over multiple channels.

Alchemer’s wealth of features allows you to do product and experience feedback, market research, and customer research, helping you understand your target audience. It lets you put constant feedback in front of the right people with project management software integrations, triggered emails, and custom webhooks. The software works with Salesforce, Zapier, Google Analytics, and Zendesk. It is offered through custom pricing with various license types and corresponding features for stakeholders, collaborators, professionals, market researchers, and full access.

What is unique about Alchemer?

1. Tons of features. It could very well be the most extensive survey platform with 300+ features to help you design surveys, collect data, and analyze results.
2. Capable yet simple. With so many advanced tools and capabilities, the platform is kept simple and easy to use with intuitive interface and automated functions.
3. Voice of the Customer. Alchemer introduces VOC, a process for collecting customer feedback across multiple touchpoints and putting that feedback into the hands of decision makers to drive continuous improvements to your product and service.
4. Tell your story with data. Alchemer offers InsightCanvas that lets you tell your story with data and adapt its presentation to each consumer through data visualization options that make it simple to communicate exactly what story your data should be telling.

3. Qualtrics Research Core

Qualtrics Research Core has been one of the top solutions for years when it comes to research and survey solutions, for a number of good reasons. It offers powerful features and robust functionalities that make sophisticated research simple, all from one platform that can handle every type of research. From customer insights, product and brand research to market segmentation and concept testing, among others, Qualtrics Research Core is more than capable.

The vendor offers an appealing free trial deal which allows you to test the features without cost and strings attached. You can sign up for Qualtrics Research Core free trial here.

With Qualtrics RC, you can build beautiful sophisticated surveys with easy drag-and-drop tools, capture and analyze survey data, and act on insights. It is an ideal solution for brand, market, and academic researchers, and applicable across a wide range of industries, businesses, and organizations.

Qualtrics RC offers integration with other software solutions from CRM to ERP. As it delivers customizable capabilities for enterprise requirements, it is made available through custom priced packages, it also provides a free plan for SMBs and small teams looking to harness Qualtrics technologies to jumpstart their survey and research projects.

What is unique about Qualtrics Research Core?

1. Sophistication meets simplicity. While highly regarded as a sophisticated survey and research software, it also boasts of being the easiest to use. This is made possible with drag-and-drop functionality, 100+ pre-made questionnaires, 30 graph and report types, API integration, email triggers, multi-channel distribution, and many more features.
2. The survey platform for all your research needs. From simple one-off surveys to sophisticated global experience management solutions, the survey platform powers everything from market research projects to customer experience, product testing, employee experience and brand tracking projects.
3. Target the right customers with the right message. You can customize your surveys and intercepts with over 20 different targeting variables from geolocation to customer segments and site behavior, allowing you to offer customized promotions to drive conversion and gather the right feedback from the right audiences at every stage in the online journey.
4. Enterprise level survey data security. All your data is secure with enterprise-grade security features such as data encryption, redundancy, continuous network monitoring, Single Sign On (SSO) and more. Qualtrics is also ISO 27001 certified and FedRAMP authorized which the “gold standard” of security certification used by the U.S. Government for SaaS providers.

4. Zoho Survey

Zoho Survey lets you experience the craft of survey creation, letting you build survey in minutes, reach your audience on every device, and get results graphically and in real-time. The online survey platform gets high marks for sheer ease of use when making and administering surveys aide from other deep capabilities. It’s basically a simple process of create, collect, and conclude. You get to build branded surveys with over 25 question types complete with skip logic and piping, share your surveys instantly with everyone on your list using social media and email campaigns, and analyze data and customize reports to help you visualize response trends and make informed decisions.

Zoho Survey comes loaded with pre-built survey templates so you can create and conduct online surveys within minutes. You can also make your own custom template for more specific audiences and results. It lets you extend your reach to your audience through any device, and check out the results in detailed graphics as they come in. The survey software integrates with other apps in the Zoho family such as Zoho CRM, Zoho Campaigns, Zoho SalesIQ and Zoho Sheet, as well as with Google Sheet and MailChimp. It has a free plan and three premium packages with prices ranging from $19 to $41 per month.

What is unique about Zoho Survey?

1. Quick and easy. Complexity is totally eliminated. It takes mere minutes to create your survey and just seconds to collect and analyze responses.
2. More ways to reach your audience. Zoho Survey will generate a secure link for every survey you launch. You can share or send survey via web links, custom domain links, private group access, email campaigns, social media or QR codes.
3. Surveys for every screen size. Every survey you make with the platform is automatically optimized for mobile, allowing your audience to respond anywhere from any mobile device.
4. Buy responses for your surveys. Zoho Survey offers Research Panels where you can purchase responses, extending your reach beyond your current contacts, getting more survey respondents, and quickly targeting the demographics you need.

5. ProProfs Survey Maker

ProProfs Survey Maker packs power and features to let you easily create branded surveys complete with video, images, and graphics; share surveys on various channels; and analyze results to get instant answers. Used by top corporations such as Sony, Dell, and DHL, the software is responsible for creating over 50,000 surveys for more than 4 million respondents. It is utilized by educators, instructors, online marketers and organizations to gather customer feedback, conduct demographic and market research, evaluate course efficacy, and more.

ProProfs Survey Maker is equipped with advanced features such as response grading, detailed survey stats, multiple question types, cross-device compatibility, and survey embed facilities, among others. Its simple drag and drop survey creation tool lets you easily edit and reorder survey questions. You can create custom online surveys tailored to the needs of your respondents and get detailed reports that accurately interpret results. The software integrates with Salesforce, WordPress, MailChimp, Constant Contact and CampaignMonitor. ProProfs Survey Maker is available in four low-cost premium plans ranging from $7 to $199 per month that cover basic, professional, business, and enterprise requirements.

What is unique about ProProfs Survey Maker?

1. Add scoring to surveys. You can assign points, rates, grades, or values to feedback, answers, or options given or chosen by the respondents so you can quickly analyze responses.
2. Hide questions & add private notes. These features enable you to hide some fields and questions from respondents, which can only be viewed by you or your administrators. Once respondents are done taking the surveys, you can access these hidden items from the survey report section, and add your own notes or responses.
3. Security controls. The software lets you keep your online surveys secure and confidential with passwords, privacy controls and more.
4. High-level analytics. You get to collect real time data, generate detailed reports, and track results.

6. Examinare Survey Tool

Examinare Survey Tool is a premium survey platform that gives you one of the easiest ways to create surveys on the internet, mainly because of its set of intuitive features and solid capabilities. You get to use surveys, questionnaires, and polls for you project; easy and reliable analysis and reporting; translation in more than 25 languages; and enterprise level security and data safety. Survey creation is facilitated by several questions types and answering methods, skip-logic functionality, full customizable design, live on-screen results, automatic reporting, and data exporting.

While it has all the essential survey tools you need, Examinare Survey Tool stands out in the area of security to safeguard your data. It employs cutting edge SSL encryption, SSL support for mobile devices, IP blocking to your administration account, hosting in secure datacenters with 24/7/365 monitoring, and hourly backups. The platform integrates with over a dozen ecommerce, customer support, email, online storage and other apps and services. It offers six plans and versions for businesses, students, teachers, and campus, with features tailored for each of these different types of users.

What is unique about Examinare Survey Tool?

1. Several answering methods. You get several options which can use separately or in combination to get the best answers, including multiple choice question, free text question with 1 correct answer typed in, Osgood scale, gradient scale, instruction, or free text question with multiple correct answers typed in.
2. Extendable service. Examinare Survey Tool can extend its service with your existing company architecture extensions through extensions and integrations with services and platforms you already use.
3. Developer friendly. Examinare offers massive developer support via email, phone meetings or Google Hangout to get all the assistance you may need.
4. Localization. The software is a fully translated and localized survey system in 25+ languages with support for Left-To-Right and Right-To-Left (ex. Arabic). It also has online users manual in English and 7 other languages; email, live chat and phone support in English, Swedish and Russian; and UTF-8 encoding support for all survey data.

7. SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey has carved a reputation as one of the best online survey tools around. It’s fully equipped with ready-made tools to help you with your market research – from creating and conducting surveys to collecting and analyzing data from a few samples or millions of respondents. The power it brings and its ease of use makes it a popular choice even for well-known brands such as GoPro, Lyft, and Box. Creating surveys is an effortless process of dragging and dropping questions onto a webpage and filling up your question and answer fields.

With SurveyMonkey, you can create different types of surveys, fast and easy, with ready made templates for all types of questions. Its methodologist-certified survey templates let you build surveys on customer satisfaction and loyalty, employee engagement and job satisfaction, healthcare and marketing, online and market research, academic and educational (student, teachers, schools), NPS, event planning surveys, website feedback, and more. SurveyMonkey offers full customization and extensive integration with over two dozen apps and services. It is available in three premium enterprise packages and a basic free plan.

What is unique about SurveyMonkey?

1. Wide applicability. SurveyMonkey’s expansive question bank makes it applicable to a wide range of users, businesses, and survey purpose whether for customer satisfaction, employee feedback, demographics, community, healthcare, market research, human resources, events, political and non-profit; you can always add more questions to the survey as per your requirements.
2. Built-in configurable and collaborative attributes. The online survey tool can serve almost all research based surveys regardless if they are long or short and simple or complex, surveys can be created and configured quickly.
3. Team collaboration. Surveys can be filled out and shared across teams within organizations through one single account, preventing issues that can arise from manually analyzing, discussing or sharing survey results.
4. Survey data security. SurveyMonkey offers top-of-the-line security encrypted survey platform, with data validated by TRUSTe, Norton, and HIPAA features.

8. QuestionPro

QuestionPro is one of the leaders in online survey software boasting of millions of users including global brands like Toyota, Samsung, and Siemens. It provides fully automated and real-time online survey tools built to help you easily create online surveys, questionnaires, and polls for research on market trends, customers, employees, communities and academics. It comes with over 80 ready made standard and advanced survey question types, a huge library of more than 300 questionnaires and survey templates, and full customization capability.

Collecting responses is made easy with QuestionPro as it enables you to send your surveys through several data collection methods. You can distribute surveys and gather responses in real-time using inline email surveys, mobile surveys, SMS surveys and QR codes. It has mobile apps to enable online as well as offline data collection, and allows you to create online community research portals so you can have a specialized feedback network. QuestionPro offers an API and integrates with Google Docs, Dropbox and social media platforms. It has a free plan and premium packages for professionals, corporations, teams and enterprises.

What is unique about QuestionPro?

1. Advanced analysis and reporting. You get real-time summary, pivot tables and segmentation survey tools as well as an advanced survey analysis suite that includes trend analysis, text analytics, and conjoint analysis, among others.
2. Community research. QuestionPro has its built-in community research platform for qualitative measurements using online focus groups, web portals, panel management and rewards system. This lets you engage your own community and conduct community polls and discussions to derive meaningful insights.
3. Mobile-ready survey platform. The software’s iPad and tablet apps are designed specifically to allow for data collection and analysis everywhere you go.
4. Customized professional survey services. QuestionPro offers a wide variety of customized professional services including logic and custom scripting, custom design, professional survey creation, and customized training and support.

9. Forsta

Forsta is a robust, adaptable, and interconnected platform for experience and research technology. It was established through the consolidation of three entities – Confirmit, FocusVision, and Dapresy, and now operates as a unified, comprehensive platform that eliminates the barriers between Research, Customer Experience, and Employee Experience.

The platform has gained the trust of over 2,500 clients across more than 100 countries. It provides an extensive array of research and insights solutions, covering Customer Experience (CX), Enterprise Feedback Management, Voice of the Customer (VoC), Voice of the Employee (VoE), Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Data Visualization, and beyond.

Forsta is equipped with tools designed to deliver superior data and more profound insights through its Human Experience (HX) platform. It empowers businesses to progress by enabling them to collect, analyze, visualize, and act on insights. From survey software and online panel management to text analytics and data storytelling, Forsta offers all the necessary tools to tackle performance challenges.

What is unique about Forsta?

1. Unified Platform. Forsta is a unique blend of three industry pioneers – Confirmit, FocusVision, and Dapresy, offering a unified platform for Research, Customer Experience, and Employee Experience.
2. Diverse Solutions. It provides a wide array of research and insights solutions, including CX, Enterprise Feedback Management, VoC, VoE, and more.
3. HX Platform. Forsta’s Human Experience (HX) platform offers tools for better data and deeper insights, enabling businesses to collect, analyze, visualize, and act on insights.
4. Global Recognition. Trusted by over 2,500 customers across 100 countries, Forsta has a global footprint in the field of experience and research technology.

10. AskNicely

AskNicely is a feedback collection platform that utilizes Net Promoter Score (NPS) to help you deliver great customer experiences and drive business growth. It provides easy to use but effective marketing tools that allow you to measure customer satisfaction and the likelihood of customers to recommend your business and, if needed, make further improvements to your products or services. The software integrates with your CRM system, from where it automatically gathers feedback data using one-question customer surveys. Issues are captured in real time, and results are evaluated by the NPS tool.

Through simple one-touch surveys delivered via mobile friendly email or within your website, product or app, you can collect feedback on a daily basis. It connects with Salesforce to trigger feedback requests after specific events or timeframes. The software is also equipped with daily survey branching logic, survey scheduling, automated reporting, customized response alerts, feedback replies, multi-language support, and multi-brand capability. It integrates with over a dozen third-party apps. Two pricing packages are offered – a professional plan pegged at $299 per month, and a custom-priced plan with enterprise features for large companies.

What is unique about AskNicely?

1. Leveraging NPS. AskNicely capitalizes on easy and recurring net scores which are universal standards for capturing feedback and dealing with it to address your feedback and survey requirements.
2. Powerful leaderboards. These features let you segment and categorize channels, employees, and products, so you can better understand your business or product performance.
3. At-a-glance NPS dashboard. AskNicely offers at-a-glance NPS dashboards where you can track by product, channel, rep, or other variables, allowing you to share real-time insights with your entire teams.
4. Keep your data as long as you want. Unlike other data collection solutions, AskNicely allows you to securely store all collected feedback right within the cloud platform as long as you want.

Things to Consider

And we’re about done here. You should now be able to choose the right solution for you. Of course, SoGoSurvey would be the top choice. But there are things to consider when purchasing such platforms so don’t go diving into a deal yet. One such consideration is pricing. You should go for SaaS software as they come mostly in flexible pricing terms, with most enterprise-grade tools being scalable. This scalability allows you to pay only for the features you need, giving you what you want and make savings at the same time. However, if you feel that you need to know more about these tools, check out our article on the 21 best online survey builder tools for businesses and education. It will provide you with more information about such platforms and how to go about purchasing one.

Key Insights

• Increased Efficiency with Online Surveys: Online surveys streamline the data collection process, enhancing response rates while reducing costs. This efficiency is a key advantage for businesses, academic institutions, and research organizations.
• Diverse Applications: Survey software tools are versatile, supporting various research fields such as business and marketing, education, social sciences, and government statistics. This wide applicability makes them essential in understanding customer behavior and gathering feedback.
• Feature-Rich Platforms: Leading survey tools like SoGoSurvey, Alchemer, and Qualtrics offer extensive features, including customization, process automation, multi-channel distribution, and robust data analysis. These features facilitate comprehensive and accurate survey creation and data interpretation.
• Global Reach and Language Support: Many survey platforms provide multi-language support, enabling businesses to conduct surveys across different regions and demographics, ensuring accuracy and inclusivity in data collection.
• Security and Data Privacy: High-level security measures are integral to survey software, protecting sensitive data with encryption, secure access controls, and compliance with standards like GDPR and HIPAA.
• Integration Capabilities: Survey tools often integrate with other software solutions such as CRM, ERP, and marketing automation tools. This integration enhances the overall efficiency of business processes by allowing seamless data flow and real-time insights.
• Customer Experience Enhancement: Tools like AskNicely leverage Net Promoter Score (NPS) to measure customer satisfaction and drive business improvements. Real-time feedback and actionable insights help businesses enhance their customer service and product offerings.

FAQ

1. What are online surveys, and how are they beneficial?

Online surveys are a method of data collection that uses digital platforms to gather responses from a specific audience. They are beneficial because they increase response rates, reduce costs, and provide real-time data analysis, making it easier for businesses and researchers to gather and interpret data efficiently.

2. What features should I look for in survey software?

When choosing survey software, look for features such as customizable templates, multi-channel distribution, advanced data analysis, integration with other software (like CRM and ERP), multi-language support, security measures, and ease of use. These features ensure comprehensive data collection and accurate analysis.

3. How do survey tools support different research fields?

Survey tools support various research fields by providing templates and question types tailored to specific needs. They offer features for customer feedback, market research, academic research, employee engagement, and social science studies, making them versatile tools for diverse applications.

4. How do survey platforms ensure data security and privacy?

Survey platforms ensure data security and privacy by implementing encryption, secure access controls, regular backups, and compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA. These measures protect sensitive information from unauthorized access and data breaches.

5. Can survey software integrate with other business tools?

Yes, many survey software solutions integrate with other business tools such as CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, ERP software, and email marketing services. This integration allows for seamless data flow, real-time insights, and enhanced overall business efficiency.

6. How do online surveys enhance customer experience?

Online surveys enhance customer experience by providing businesses with real-time feedback on products and services. Tools like AskNicely use NPS to measure customer satisfaction, identify areas for improvement, and drive business growth through actionable insights and targeted improvements.

7. What is Net Promoter Score (NPS), and why is it important?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a metric used to gauge customer loyalty and satisfaction. It is calculated based on responses to the question of how likely customers are to recommend a product or service. NPS is important because it provides a clear indicator of customer sentiment and helps businesses identify promoters and detractors.

8. Are there free versions of survey software available?

Yes, many survey software solutions offer free versions or trials. These versions typically come with limited features but are sufficient for small projects or for users to evaluate the platform’s capabilities before committing to a paid plan.

9. How do multi-language support and localization enhance survey accuracy?

Multi-language support and localization enhance survey accuracy by allowing respondents to answer questions in their preferred language. This reduces misunderstandings and ensures that the data collected accurately reflects the respondents’ opinions and experiences, making the survey results more reliable and inclusive.

10. What are the benefits of using survey software for academic research?

Survey software benefits academic research by providing tools for creating detailed questionnaires, distributing them to a wide audience, and analyzing responses efficiently. Features like skip logic, branching, and custom reporting help researchers gather and interpret data accurately, making the research process more streamlined and effective.

By Christopher Robinson

Christopher Robinson is a senior productivity research analyst who specializes in optimizing online collaboration and project management using Scrum and agile approaches. In his work, he always emphasizes the need for distributed work training and the formation of efficient work habits. His work was mentioned in various business publications, including Entrepreneur and InfoQ. He’s a strong proponent of the GTD model. He has been cooperating with the FinancesOnline team for 5 years now, and his publications always focus on practical aspects of productivity tools that can have an actual, transformative impact on a company.